Standing vs. Sitting at Work

It is no surprise that many of us spend the majority of our time sitting down. The commute to work often times involves sitting down. We arrive at work and sit at our desk. Even on our lunch break is composed of grabbing a bite to eat and sitting down. Within the confines of evolution, this prolonged sitting is out of the ordinary. Recent research has proven that standing is much better for our bodies than sitting, and those that are on their feet regularly can expect to live up to two years longer than their sedentary companions.

In short, standing up increases the efficiency with which your body deals with sugar, and in turn, glucose levels. Researchers in the UK conducted an experiment with people who work sitting down. These people were asked to stand for at least three hours a day so that researchers could monitor their bodily functions and pinpoint the effects of standing versus sitting. The most glaring difference that came from standing opposed to sitting was the decreased glucose levels in the subjects. The heart rate monitors the subjects wore also provided evidence that more calories were burned from standing than sitting.

Although the results of this study may seem like common sense, sedentary positioning is something that all of us could benefit from paying more attention to. I urge you to try and implement movement into your workday. By standing while you perform certain tasks during your day, you can improve your bodily health and allow your body to prosper. From a productivity standpoint, you may be concerned that standing will be an inefficient way to tackle your workday. Don't let this fear keep you from at least giving it a shot. You never know, maybe you will discover you actually perform better while standing!